Philadelphia Swim Classes | Fitness Alive Swim Academy

Find out about Philadelphia swim classes for infants, children and adults.

Small-Group Swim Classes

Fitness Alive Swim Academy’s group classes foster a natural progression from beginner to experienced swim levels, for both kids and adults. Our children’s and beginner-adult classes are kept intentionally small to allow our instructors to develop a great rapport with students and enable our students to receive personal attention.

About Our Classes + Pricing

We offer drop-in classes (for Sunday Baby Bubbles only), as well as six-week class series and two-week Intensive classes.

Drop-in classes: Entry to a single class. Drop-ins are available only for our Sunday Baby Bubbles Drop-in class (9-10am); $25 cash paid onsite to the instructor, and no registration required.

Six-week series: Classes meet once per week for 30 minutes each over the course of six weeks. Children's, Adult Beginner, and Adult Intermediate Lap Swim classes are priced at $150 for the full series.

Intensives: Classes meet three times per week for 30 minutes each over the course of two weeks. Intensives offer the same amount of instruction time as our six-week series, but in a condensed timeframe. We offer Intensives for children's classes during the summer months. Priced at $150 for the full series.

Children's Class Descriptions

Level 0: Baby Bubbles - Parent-and-Child Swim

Recommended ages: 5 months-3 years

Our littlest swimmers first meet the water in Baby Bubbles, our group class for kids — and their parents — from ages five months to three years. Using finely honed techniques developed by co-founder and lead instructor Holly Waters, children learn how to feel comfortable and move their bodies in the water, helping them build confidence while exploring new surroundings in a safe, fun and supervised setting. Mom and/or dad are in the pool with their child offering hands-on guidance and encouragement under the direction of our instructor. The class also incorporates light massage techniques to help children develop long, loose, strong bodies.

*Two important notes for this class: *

Non-potty-trained kids must wear a swim diaper to enter the pool; no exceptions.

There must be one parent/caregiver/adult per child enrolled in the class. Caregivers are in the water with their child and must hold their child the entire time; therefore, one adult cannot manage two (or more) children. If you have two children and only one adult who can attend class, only one child can be enrolled in the class.

Level 0: Toddler Bubbles - Parent-and-Child Swim

Recommended ages: 2-3 years

Little ones who are comfortable in the water and ready to graduate from Baby Bubbles will continue to develop water confidence and skills in Toddler Bubbles. Mom and/or dad are in the pool with their child, offering hands-on guidance and encouragement under the direction of our instructor. Children will work on learning independence in the water, by leaving the hands of mom or dad with safety and confidence. They will also practice kicking, jumping from the side and learning how to lengthen arms, setting the groundwork for our Level 1: Tadpoles group class.

*Two important notes for this class: *

Non-potty-trained kids must wear a swim diaper to enter the pool; no exceptions.

There must be one parent/caregiver/adult per child enrolled in the class. Caregivers are in the water with their child and must hold their child the entire time; therefore, one adult cannot manage two (or more) children. If you have two children and only one adult who can attend class, only one child can be enrolled in the class.

Level 1: Tadpoles

Class size: 3 children max*Recommended ages: 3-5 years old

Our novice swimmers gain comfort and confidence in the pool and learn the basics without mom or dad in the water. In this class, your child will learn to:

 Blow bubbles Submerge face Submerge head Use pool noodle unassisted  Float on front and back without assistance Swim five feet from wall to the instructor without assistance

A child is ready to graduate to Level 2 when he or she masters all of the above skills. If your child has not yet mastered all of the skills above, this is his or her appropriate class level.

*Please remember that the recommended ages are only suggestions; your child’s ability level and the skills checklist above are much more important determinants for which group he or she should be a part of. If you are unsure of your child's best fit, please attend one of our Family Swim Nights and have your child assessed by one of our instructors.

Level 2: Goldfish I

Class size: 4 children max*Recommended ages: 5-7 years old

Our Level 2 swimmers are ready to learn the true mechanics of swimming. We've divided this Level into two sub-groups, as there's a lot of ground to cover, and we want to make sure kids are matched properly with peers at their level.

In Goldfish I, your child will learn to:

 Paddle 15 feet from the wall and return without assistance. Tread water for 15 seconds. Basic knowledge of freestyle, backstroke, and breaststroke, although unrefined. Swim underwater while blowing bubbles. Kick with a kickboard on front and back with some assistance. Complete assisted sit dives.

A child is ready to graduate to Goldfish II when he or she masters all of the above skills. If your child has not yet mastered all of these skills, this is his or her appropriate class level.

*Please remember that the recommended ages are only suggestions; your child’s ability level and the skills checklist above are much more important determinants for which group he or she should be a part of. If you are unsure of your child's best fit, please attend one of our Family Swim Nights and have your child assessed by one of our instructors.

Level 2: Goldfish II

Class size: 4 children max*Recommended ages: 5-7 years old

Our Level 2 swimmers are ready to learn the true mechanics of swimming. We've divided this Level into two sub-groups, as there's a lot of ground to cover, and we want to make sure kids are matched properly with peers at their level.

In Goldfish II, your child will learn to:

 Swim half the length of the pool, freestyle and side-breathing, without assistance. Swim half the length of the pool, breaststroke and backstroke. Using a kickboard, kick the length of the pool on front and back. Pick up toys from the bottom of the pool with minimal assistance. Jump in the pool and swim to the side, unassisted

A child is ready to graduate to our Level 3: Dolphins program when he or she masters all of the above skills. If your child has not yet mastered all of these skills, this is his or her appropriate class level.

*Please remember that the recommended ages are only suggestions; your child’s ability level and the skills checklist above are much more important determinants for which group he or she should be a part of. If you are unsure of your child's best fit, please attend one of our Family Swim Nights and have your child assessed by one of our instructors.

Level 3: Dolphins Pre-Competitive

Class size: 5 children max*Recommended ages: 7+ years old

Our most advanced swimmers come together in our Level 3 Dolphins class, our pre-competitive program for children wishing to join a swim team. In this class, your child will learn to:

 Swim the length of the pool, unassisted Tread water for 30 seconds Master basic motions of all competitive strokes Pick up toys from the bottom of the pool, unassisted Complete flip turns Proper breathing technique

If your child has not yet mastered all of these skills, this is his or her appropriate class level.

*Please remember that the recommended ages are only suggestions; your child’s ability level and the skills checklist above are much more important determinants for which group he or she should be a part of. If you are unsure of your child's best fit, please attend one of our Family Swim Nights and have your child assessed by one of our instructors.

Adult Class Descriptions

Adult Beginner Swim

Class size: 3 swimmers max

This small-group class is for adults with little to no prior pool experience, or those with fears to overcome and confidence to build. Your goal in this class will be to learn to swim a length of the pool and feel comfortable in the water. Adults will learn basic strokes and water safety and become equipped for participation in activities in and around the water.

Adult Intermediate Lap Swim - NEW CLASS!

Class size: 8 swimmers max

This class is for adults who are comfortable in the water and can swim freestyle from one end of the pool to the other, but want to improve form, breathing, flip turns, and learn additional strokes. In our 17-yard saltwater pool, you will become a stronger lap swimmer by building up endurance and lung capacity. Strengthening your breathing and stroke technique will help you become comfortable swimming longer distances without stopping. Depending on your goals, you can also learn the fundamentals for breaststroke, backstroke and butterfly.

AdultSwim Happy Hour - This class is not currently scheduled.

Prerequisite experience: You can swim a lap or two in the pool and are comfortable in the water.

Looking to mix up your cardio routine and build some serious endurance? Challenge your muscles and strengthen your lungs in the pool, with a heart-pumping workout like no other. You'll tackle speedy laps and strong kick sets, refine stroke and breathing technique and even race through intervals in the pool and on the deck. After our workout, we'll head to a nearby bar to throw back a drink or two and get to know each other out of the water.

This class aims to provide a fun and structured swimming workout for comfortable swimmers of ranging abilities. These workouts are great as part of a general fitness routine, or for those training or cross-training for swimming events or other competitions, such as triathlons and marathons. You don't have to be an expert swimmer to participate, but you should be comfortable in the pool and be able to swim a few laps (no worries if your form isn't perfect!). Our 17-yard saltwater pool is unconventional but fierce, so expect to make waves and get a great workout.

Cost: $95 for the six-week series, or $20 for drop-ins. Online sign-up required for drop-ins.

Swim Class Policies

Class Change Fee: If you wish to switch to a different class or private/semiprivate lessons after you have already registered, we may able to accommodate your request, depending on availability. However, you will be charged a $25 change fee.

Refunds/Missed Classes: We do not offer any make-up lessons or refunds in the event that you can't make it to class a certain week, so please check your schedule and plan accordingly. If you must miss a class, please be courteous and call, text or email us as soon as you can so our instructors can have an accurate headcount.

Facility/Unforeseen Emergencies: If a class must be canceled, we will provide a makeup by extending the session an extra week. We will contact you — via text, email and phone, in that order — as quickly as possible in the event of a facility closure or emergency.

Snow Days and Weather Closures: In the event that getting to or from the facility is dangerous due to the weather, we will contact you — via text, email and phone, in that order — as quickly as possible to alert you of cancelations, and we will provide relevant announcements on our website and social media channels. We will provide a makeup by extending the session an extra week.

Holidays: Holiday closures are noted in the Session calendar above. But in general, we will not hold classes or lessons on the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day.